Fail-safe Mechanism
by sonyaxe
Summary: In every timeline, there is always a turning point. A major decision, a successful gambit, or even stepping 2.315 inches to the left of a hidden landmine can determine the course of the future. For good or ill, none can know the consequences until all is said and done, when the ashes have settled and the battle is won. Azmuth added a fail-safe to the Omnitrix. And it activated.
1. Chapter 1

**I'M BACK!**

 **I know, I said I was done, but this fanfic plotbunnied its way into my head after re-watching the first season of Ben 10. As such, it will only be canon up to that point, and the Omnitrix works just a bit differently.**

 **Please let me know what you think!**

* * *

Chapter 1: Just Another One of Those Days…

In every timeline, there is always a turning point. A major decision, a successful gambit, or even stepping 2.315 inches to the left of a hidden landmine can determine the course of the future. For good or ill, none can know the consequences until all is said and done, when the ashes have settled and the battle is won.

This is one of those decisions. The singular action that ended one life… and saved the rest of the galaxy.

* * *

 **Vilgax's Ship, near Mt. Rushmore.**

Ben never really thought that it would come down to this. Currently, he was locked up, cut off from the Omnitrix, and staring cross-eyed at a jagged blue energy blade. Just seconds ago, Vilgax had laughed as Grandpa's RV was blasted from the sky by computer-controlled red laser beams, erupting in a burning fireball on the trees below. With the rescue attempt failed, and some of his closest family probably dead, he was utterly and truly helpless.

"Well then boy." The alien overlord rasped out, pale green facial-tentacles twitching in anticipation. "Goodbye." The blade flashed down and connected with Ben's restrained left arm just above the wrist.

Just above the Omnitrix.

Ben couldn't even scream as he held the charred stump that used to be his left hand in front of his face. Eyes wide with mute horror, he didn't even react as Vilgax raised his blade one final time. However, something else did. Currently, that thing was attached to a severed forearm, sitting inside a small containment shell which, in theory, would keep the watch from doing anything.

The blade lowered with agonizing slowness to Ben's pain addled mind. He watched it fall towards his face, expecting something to happen, for someone to save him, anything. Nothing happened. Just as the blade touched the tip of Ben's forehead, there was an explosion of green light, then…

Darkness.

Later that day, reporters all over the country would be talking about the giant spaceship that so briefly revealed itself near one of America's national monuments, before just as unexpectedly exploding. Conspiracies flew about secret government projects and the President's secretary was flooded with requests for interviews about this strange occurrence.

One thing that no one noticed, however, were ten pieces of debris that didn't travel down, but up, heading into Earth's orbit to lose themselves among the space junk orbiting the planet.

The Omnitrix's final failsafe had activated. It fragmented, splitting into ten separate pieces, each containing the DNA sequence of an alien… and a small shard of Ben's personality, preserved to give what little guidance he could to the new bearers of these keys to ultimate power.

Six fragments, propelled by their internal Omni-energy reserves, streaked away from the planet. Some would end up on planets, others would end up floating aimlessly in space, and one in particular exploded, releasing a certain ghost onto an unsuspecting world. Two others waited in orbit.

However, the final fragments shot down towards the Earth's surface, heading for a town in California, USA.

The Omnitrix had chosen.

* * *

 **West Hills, California.**

' _Since when has moving been so difficult?'_ Jack Harrison thought as he collapsed on his bed, utterly exhausted from a full day's work. The 15 year old's blue eyes wandered over his new ceiling, picking out the tiny cracks that were so common in old but well maintained houses. His parents picked up this house for a bargain, considering its large size and proximity to the beach. Still, they had to work extra hours over the summer and fall in order to pay for it.

Fortunately, that meant a lot of time to himself for reading, video games and watching the stars with his beloved telescope. Unfortunately, his parents threatened to ban him from said telescope - currently sitting in front of the window - if he didn't find at least a few friends before school started in two weeks. Oh well. He would figure out what to do about that in the morning.

"Seriously? We have no food, our water heater is broken, and I have to go out for breakfast? What else is there?" Jack exclaimed to an empty house. After glaring at the note his parents left on the table again, he muttered, "Oh right, I have to hook up the fridge." He ran his pale hand through dark brown hair in frustration. One glance at the large, heavy looking silver fridge and the equally large wall space it would fit into elicited a sigh. ' _That looks heavy... Maybe later'_ , he decided. He went upstairs and threw on a white t shirt and some black jeans. The fridge could wait. For now, he had a Starbucks to find.

* * *

One blueberry muffin and a hot chocolate later, Jack was wandering around a shopping center, and feeling extremely left out. This appeared to be one of those small towns where everybody knew everybody, a complete turnaround from his previous home in LA. He sat down on a rustic looking bench by a fountain to eat, and people-watched while he did so.

' _Where are all the teenagers...? It seems like only adults live here!'_ he thought to himself. As if the universe wanted nothing more than to prove him wrong, a group of loud, disruptive, and above all large guys in gray letterman's jackets with a green WH emblazoned on every single one.

Immediately, Jack looked away and tried to make himself unnoticeable. A difficult task, considering he was unfamiliar, pale, and dark haired compared to most of the blond and tan people here. ' _Universe, I hate you. Please don't see me please don't see me please don't... Well, crap_.' They saw him. Why? It just so happened he was sitting on the bench right next to the team's meeting place; the fountain.

' _Leaving would just make me more conspicuous... I need to play this one cool'_. On the inside though, Jack was preparing to do the same thing he had when the jocks at his old school came around; run as fast as his wiry frame would carry him. He grabbed a paperback from his pocket and attempted appear absorbed in his book.

"Hey! Get out of our spot!" A voice shouted from somewhere in the crowd of athletes.

' _Well, that didn't work'._ He pretended to act surprised, startling a little before putting his book away and looking up at what appeared to be the Varsity captain of the high school football team. The guy was huge, to put it in one word. At 5'11", not many people were exceptionally taller than Jack, but this person was at least 6'4", and worked out a lot.

"Umm… sorry, I didn't know this was your spot. I'll just be leaving now." Jack said quickly, already getting up to walk away. He'd made it about a step from the bench when he felt a hand grip his shoulder.

"Hold on just a second kid. You look new around here. Mind telling us who you are?" The captain asked. Jack froze for half a second, then turned around. "My name's Jack. I just moved into town, and as such I didn't realize this was your spot. Goodbye." Abruptly, he turned quickly enough to break the grip on his shoulder and began to walk hurriedly away, mentally cursing himself. He knew that he'd botched that encounter, but with traumatic memories of his old schools' football team flying through his head, he found it hard to keep himself from running away on sight, let alone trying to speak with him. The second he turned a corner in the shopping center, he started sprinting, reflexively glancing backwards to check for pursuers. Therefore, he didn't notice the group of latecomers to the football gathering, standing and talking right in his path.

He plowed right into one's lower back, knocking him forward just enough that the player's coffee splashed right onto one of the other's jacket.

Meanwhile, Jack had rebounded and landed hard on his back. He managed to scramble to his feet in an instant, but by that time the other football players had pinned him with icy glares.

"Heh… I assume a sorry won't suffice here?" He said while brushing off his t shirt. The glares continued. Jack sighed. "Thought not." With that, he turned and sprinted towards the park that bordered the mall. On his way there, he noticed it connected to some forest, in which Jack hoped he could lose his pursuers.

"Get back here you idiot! I just got this thing, and I'm not gonna rest until you pay up!" A voice shouted behind him.

Jake sighed. ' _Looks like it's just gonna be another one of those days…'_

* * *

The sun had dipped low in the sky and was casting long shadows before the last football player still searching -named Casey if Jake heard correctly - found his target.

Jack watched as one by one, the others left, calling him 'not worth it' or other similar things. All except Casey, who searched doggedly as the day wore on. Jake had been watching from the middle of a thick bush when a mouse scurried past the 15 year old's foot.

One motion, a snapped twig, and a muffled curse brought Casey's wrath onto Jack, who sprang from the bush like a startled bird, slipping slightly on the leaves. The football player followed, gaining steadily with fury in his eyes. He'd wasted the entire day searching for this punk, and now he finally had him.

Only about 20 yards ahead of him by now, Jack rushed into a clearing, but had to stop short. There was a huge, rapid filled river in his way! He turned around, eyes flicking around for an escape route, when Casey emerged into the clearing. He stopped as well, and gleefully noticed that Jack had no escape.

"I have you now!" He exclaimed, slowly advancing. He noticed the kid he'd pursued all day slowly backing up, panic in his eyes.

"I don't suppose we could talk this out?" Jack called desperately. If the fury in Casey's eyes was anything to go by, he was in for one hell of a beating.

"Not a chance!" The football player called. Jack would have shut his eyes, but he noticed something over the treetops. A bright light, one that seemed to be coming closer. And closer.

"Look out!" Jack shouted, pointing over Casey's head.

"You really think I'm gonna-" Casey's retort was cut off by an explosive impact, one that threw both teenagers back from the epicenter. Jack was lucky; he'd landed about three inches from falling down the steep banks of the river. Casey landed in a bush, slightly scraped up from the shrapnel, but otherwise fine.

The two slowly approached the new, still steaming crater, the chase forgotten in light of this new discovery.

Lying on twin pedestals of rock were two strips of black material with an identical green, glowing stripe running down their lengths. The only differentiation was a green crystal set in the center of one, and gray spiral centered in the other.

"What are these?" Jack asked no one in particular, eyes focused on the two strange objects. Absently, he hopped down into the crater and started towards the center. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Casey doing the same. With mounting excitement at discovering what looked to be an alien artifact, Jack reached out to grab one, Casey mirroring his action.

Abruptly, the thing flexed as if alive, and before Jack could react it sprang towards him! With a cry of surprise, he crossed his arms over his face (there would be no repeat of any Alien movies, thank you very much) and waited for something to happen. Whatever it was, he didn't expect something to clamp over his left wrist. For a second, it felt uncomfortably hot, but quickly cooled to a more managable temperature. He hazarded a quick glance at his wrist, expecting something moderately bad. What he wasn't expecting was the alien thing to be sitting placidly on his wrist like an ostentatious wristband.

Jack stared at it, transfixed with its sheer alien-ness. From the liquid metal to the glowing lines, it looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. When he turned his wrist to examine the back of it though, his breath froze in his lungs.

The entire wristband was now one solid piece.

"What the actual hell is this thing?" Casey shouted. Jack sighed. He'd honestly forgotten about the football player.

"Well, unfortunately for me it's not a sound-activated bomb, otherwise I wouldn't have to attempt to answer that." Jack replied in an uncharacteristically acidic tone. Hoping the alien device could be slipped off, he tried tugging at it, but it wouldn't even move a centimeter. Jack gulped. This thing wasn't coming off anytime soon.

Although momentarily stunned by Jack's sudden attitude shift, Casey, true to form, blew up. "Seriously? You spill coffee on my new jacket, make me chase you through the woods all day, and now this happens? It's all your fault!" he yelled, advancing on the now retreating figure of Jack. His retreat was halted by the wall of the crater, and in an instant Casey's muscle bound frame towered over the shorter Jack.

"Whoa whoa whoa, can't we talk this out?" Jack pleaded, shrinking back against the crater wall.

"Shut up!" The football player roared. Overcome with anger, he sent a fist flying straight at Jack's face. Instinctively, the teenager covered his face with his arms.

The fist connected with the wristband's crystal, and a flash of verdant light blinded Casey. But that wasn't what made him retreat. It was Jack's bloodcurdling screams.

* * *

 **I feel evil, leaving you guys with a cliffhanger. As such, I will tell you I already have the next chapter written, and I will post it when I get 10 (heh heh) good, solid reviews about what you liked AND what you didn't like about plot, writing style, the characters or anything EDIT: Or I will just post it on Tuesday the 30th. Whichever comes first... Anyway, PLEASE let me know these things so I can write an awesome fanfic for you guys!**

 **Oh yeah, see if you can guess which aliens Jack and Casey are turning into! I know Jack is a little obvious, but what about Casey?**

 **Peace out!**

 **-sonyaxe**


	2. Chapter 2: A Whole Lot of Trouble

**Another chapter, right on time!**

 **Thanks to the two people that reviewed (Cookies for MysteryAgain for the advice, and to Fikri B. M for the compliments!). Anyway, once again reviews are appreciated.**

 **Let me know what you think of this chapter, because if I get good responses I can edit it.**

 **I have mixed feelings about the middlish/end part.**

 **Read on!**

* * *

Chapter 2: A Whole lot of Trouble

Jack felt like he was dying.

Actually, scratch that. He _wished_ he was dying. The second Casey hit the thing on Jack's wrist, pain flared through every nerve in his body, sending him crashing to the crater floor in agony. Jack heard someone screaming; belatedly, he realized it was him.

It took a few agonizing moments, but slowly Jack started getting used to the pain. But the second he felt like it was under control, a new sensation presented itself; an itching under his skin, one that was impossible to scratch. Abruptly, the feeling centered on the wristband, paused for a second, then exploded outwards from the device on his wrist. This time though, instead of just pain, it felt like something was stabbing him, stabbing up through the skin and closing into an impenetrable barrier over it.

 _This is how I die…_ Jack thought sluggishly. His screaming petered out to small whimpers. Everywhere the stabbing affected him, the pain was gone. His vision flickered for a moment, tinting everything slightly yellow, and he felt two more giant flares of pain from his shoulder blades. Then it was over.

Slowly, Jack staggered to his feet. He felt too heavy, almost like he'd gained a few thousand extra pounds. He dropped to his knees, nerves still tingling from their recent trauma, and tried to put his face in his hands to have a good cry.

Except, it no longer was his face or his hands.

Jack froze, staring at the two huge, crystalline appendages that used to be his thin, dexterous hands. They looked weirdly joint less, and with a couple quick flexes of his new fingers, he noticed that they felt insanely strong and flexible for being made of whatever this crystal was.

"What… what- what the hell are you!" The football player shouted from across the crater. His posture was belligerent, with his calloused hands held in fists at his sides and glaring defiantly and the thing that used to be Jack. But in his brown eyes, fear lay hidden behind his mask of bravado.

"You're some kind of freak!" Casey yelled.

"Freak? You're calling me a freak? I didn't chase someone through the woods for the ENTIRE DAY just because they stained their jacket!" Jack shouted back.

"Yeah? Well…" Casey trailed off for a second. "I'm still a normal human!"

"Yeah, not until something hits that thing on your wrist." At Jack's words, the football player instantly turned a few shades paler, and his face morphed into an expression of shock. An instant later, it was gone, and replaced once more by a mask of anger.

"I don't ever have to press that button. You, on the other hand, are going to be a monster forever! Not even your own parents will want y-"Casey cut off his sentence with a yelp, followed by a wheeze. The reason? Jack's hand was closed around his tormentor's throat.

"You wanna say that again?" Jack growled. His face was about two inches from Casey's, and if looks were bullets then there wouldn't have even been a blood stain to mark Casey's passing. Jack held up the wrist that held the device, thumb hovering over the gray spiral.

Casey flashed a cocky grin _'No way this nerd has the guts to do it'_ , he thought. "Your parents won't-"Jack thumbed the button.

Another flash of green lit the crater, and once again the night was rent with screams. However, Casey felt a different pain. It started the same, with general agony spread across his entire body, but then it changed. The unfortunate human felt like his head would split open. He felt his scalp burning, his eyes bugging out, and then a squeezing, like every cell in his body was being pushed back into eachother…

Abruptly it was over, and Casey raised his head from the dirt, only to be struck by a dizzying headache. His thoughts felt, for the first time since he had stopped trying in school, loud. Half remembered memories were crystal clear, concepts snapped into place that he'd been struggling with for the past year, and a huge vocabulary seemed to blossom in his head.

Casey's vision focused, and for the first time in his life, knew what it felt like to be looked down on.

"You do realize that if the circumstances were different, I would be busting up laughing." Jack commented. His tone was completely neutral. He felt disgusted with himself. ' _That was completely unwarranted! Why did I do that? Did this transformation increase my aggression response?'_ he thought frantically. Unknowingly, Jack was very close to the truth. The DNA transplant was rewriting his very genetic code, including that of his brain, into being half petrosapien. In short, in the moments after the first transformation, he was very unstable.

"Laugh all you want. It won't change this." Casey said, motioning to his body in general. Jack, already barely able to contain himself, actually started shaking, and then finally couldn't hold it anymore. A sound like a continuous rockslide emanated from the petrosapien. Seeing Jack's doubled over form, Casey accurately guessed what the sound was; laughter.

"Hey! You said you wouldn't laugh!" Casey yelled at him indignantly.

"I- I'm sorry, but you- you're just so-"

"SO WHAT!?" Casey screamed.

"Your voice is so high!" Jack managed, before collapsing onto his back in a crystalline heap and trying to roll around in laughter. Unfortunately, the giant spikes on his back stabbed into the ground, sticking and leaving him unable to get up.

Casey began rubbing his chin with a four fingered hand. "Now that you mention it, my vocal cords must have shrunk, rendering my voice several octaves higher." Abruptly, the laughter stopped. Casey rolled his new, giant eyes and glared at Jack. "What is it now, oh great stuck one?"

"That last sentence was actually… smart." Jack said. Giving up on trying to push his way out of his self-made imprisonment, he let his limbs rest on the ground. "And now that I've got that compliment out of the way, a little help? Please?"

Casey rolled his eyes again (he was really starting to like that!). "Fine, but only if you stop joking about my voice."

"Deal!" Jack agreed quickly. The spikes were starting to ache, almost as if they had nerve endings. ' _Weird… crystal with nerves? I'm almost surprised.'_ "Can you be quick about it please?" He urged.

"When I give the word, roll about 90 degrees to your left. Not right. LEFT." Casey said while checking angles and calculations. Jack mumbled something. "What was that?" The newly created genius snapped.

"Nothing, nothing. I was just wondering how you are planning on getting me out of here." Jack said.

"As trite as this is, leverage is the word you are looking for. A simple application of pressure in the right area can easily free you." Casey rambled, still looking for a likely area. Jack groaned internally at the reference. "There we are."

He crawled under Jack's back, avoiding the two thick spikes and the four smaller spines lower on his back. Except for the protrusions, a thin looking layer of blue clothing stretched across his upper body, almost like a V-neck tank top, while a similar black material covered the lower body, including the boots.

"Alright, get ready to roll. Remember, LEFT." Casey stressed, harboring no illusions about what wouldn't be left of his body if something of that mass would drop on it. Luckily for him, the application of force to a point near Jack's armpit combined with Jack's new strength was enough for him to rip free of the ground, leaving deep indents.

The newly freed teenager glanced at the holes, and then turned to get a good look at Casey. "Remind me never to do that again," he deadpanned. "Anyway, I'm not sure we actually properly met." Jack held out his massive hand to the football player. "I'm Jack."

Casey daintily shook the end of Jack's pointer finger. "Casey. Now, would you care to tell me what exactly I am?" he demanded, still miffed about his size.

"Well, as hilarious as you look right now, I think I have some answers. You know those aliens that have been on T.V. recently?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, what about them? I never saw either of… whatever we appear to have transformed into." Casey responded.

"On every single one of them, the same symbol appeared. Look, its right here," Jack said, pointing to a strange hourglass symbol on his chest. "You have one too. It's on your back."

"What? Where?" Casey exclaimed. He twisted his neck around and, out of the corner of his eye spotted the weirdly familiar symbol. "The… Omnitrix?"

"Huh? You lost me."

"I don't know!" Casey snapped. "It just popped into my head… Diamondhead?" Suddenly, Casey curled over clutching his head, gasping in pain. Then, just as suddenly, he stood straight up and looked directly into Jack's yellow eyes. "Diamondhead. That's what you are."

"I'm sorry, but since when are we naming each other? You know, if you get to name me completely randomly, you get to be -"

"It wasn't random. It felt… right. Just like that symbol represents the Omnitrix." Casey held up a hand when he saw Jack taking a breath. "No, I don't know what it means either."

"Well in that case, how about… Grey Matter. I think it fits you." Jack said after a few moments of deliberation.

"Agreed. Now, the million dollar question… how do we-"Casey began, but a beeping sound interrupted him. "What's that?"

"Huh? What's what?" Jack asked. He bounded to his feet and glanced around hurriedly. "I don't see anything," he said with a shrug.

"No, there's a… beeping. Or something. Are you sure you can't-" Casey cut of mid-sentence as the Omnitrix symbol on Jack's chest flashed green, then emitted a hologram of the same symbol, floating in the air and rotating between the two.

"What is it with these things and interrupting-"

"Shhh!" Jack rumbled, once more interrupting his fellow half-alien.

A toneless male recording began speaking in random languages before settling on English. **"DNA received by hosts. Bonding successful. Initiating user interface… Error. User interface offline. Initiating voice command… Error. File corrupted. Attempting debugging program… Success. Please stand by for-**

Another voice broke through the computer. This one sounded like an over exuberant child's, much to Jack and Casey's surprise **"Hi! I'm Ben Tennyson. Sorry to keep you guys waiting, the stupid watch wasn't letting me talk to the inhabitants of whatever planet we landed on. So, as you've probably guessed… wait… Where are we?** The Omnitrix symbol suddenly grew a cartoon face, complete with ridiculously oversized eyes, which narrowed as they scrutinized Jack. It floated right up to his face, before backing off and doing the same to Casey. **"These were supposed to be sent off planet, not remain on Earth! This stupid stupid stupid stupid-"**

"SHUT UP!" Jack shouted. He actually started a few rockslides around the edge of the crater, not that anyone noticed. Both Casey and the synthesized personality of Ben Tennyson were staring at him, wide eyed. "Now. Since we've got your attention, and you seem to know what is going on, could you please tell us?"

" **Sure! Those bracelets you guys are wearing used to be part of the Omnitrix, an awesome watch thingy that could ERROR ERROR ERROR.**

…

…

 **What. Was. That. Anyway, it's an ERROR."**

…

…

" **STUPID WATCH!"** The hologram yelled in fury. **"It doesn't want me telling you anything."** Ben explained apologetically.

"Ummm… wait this thing is sentient?" Casey asked, new intellect already fanboying at the thought of studying a _real AI_!

" **Well… now it is. See, I used to wear it, and… well, let's not talk about that. Basically, it somehow copied my personality and stuck it into the place where the debug software used to be. So, since I think I'm sentient, the watch is too!"** Casey recoiled a little as the hologram's mouth morphed into a freakishly huge grin, before all expression on the floating symbol abruptly vanished and it returned to being a rotating green hologram.

" **All systems functioning. Assist features shutting down."** Spoke the monotone machine voice from before.

"Wait! We need more-" Jack sighed as the hologram went dark.-"Information…" he trailed off. "I don't suppose you have any idea why that happened?"

"Nope. Not a clue. But that's not important. How do we change back?"

"Well, that should be simple. Omnitrix, revert DNA sequencing!" Jack commanded. He waited a few seconds, then sighed and slumped over dejectedly. "Great. What are the odds of us being able to wait it out?"

Casey scrunched up his overlarge eyes and put his brain to work. "About one in 2,104,823. Roughly." Jack shot him a glare. "Hey! I'm just being realistic! These devices have altered our cellular structure right down to the DNA; I don't think it was meant to just revert." Casey explained.

About a second after finishing the sentence, the symbol on Jack's chest beeped and blinked red.

"What-"Casey began, but was interrupted as once more, as screams once more filled the crater.

* * *

 **Yes, Ben is technically alive! Yay! Unfortunately, until they figure out the fragments, he won't be speaking to them for a while.**

 **Reviews are my inspiration and feedback helps you guys like my story better. (Hopefully).**

 **As always, review and peace out!**

 **-sonyaxe**


	3. Chapter 3: Changes

**Another chapter! Unfortunately I was unable to have it proofread by anyone else, which means I probably edited in circles for a while.**

 **Anyway, on with the story!**

* * *

Chapter 3: Changes

"Well that was a thoroughly unpleasant experience." Jack commented as the two re-transformed humans scrabbled their way up the steep sides of the crater.

"I agree. I'm a bit annoyed though. All that brainpower is gone, and probably will be until this thing recharges." He held up his wrist with the Omnitrix fragment on it dejectedly. The green band had changed to a steady crimson, mirroring Jack's.

"I don't care about turning back. That was just too painful. Even if the reversion did feel less like inescapable agony, and more like horrendous torture." Jack grumbled. True, he was missing the strength and invulnerability he'd enjoyed for the brief time he'd been a petrosapien. But that still didn't mean he wanted to be crippled with pain every time it happened.

"I know what you mean. But still, the second this recharges I'm switching." Casey grinned, already imagining the possibilities. He'd never fail a test again!

"We can't let anyone else know about these. You do realize that." Jack said. Immediately, the football player came back down to Earth. "I mean, what if the government caught wind of us?"

"Then I'll switch to Gray Matter and be our lawyer."

The two shared a chuckle and walked through the woods in silence for a few minutes. Then Jack spoke up.

"What do I tell my parents?"

Casey stayed silent. The scenario had come up in his head a few times, and each time it ended in one way; rejection.

"Let's not worry about that. I mean, think of what we can do with these! We could be like those other aliens on the news, heroes! That would be pretty awesome," Casey admitted.

"Yeah… maybe." Jack shrugged noncommittally. "What time is it?"

Casey checked his watch. "Only 12:30."

They reached the edge of the woods, and the soft glow of street lights washed their faces in orange glows.

"So… not enemies?" Jack asked.

Casey held out a hand to shake. "Not enemies."

They shook hands.

Jack walked out of the same Starbucks as he had gone to yesterday, already chomping on a banana and chocolate chip muffin. He balanced his usual hot cocoa on top of the book he'd brought to the mall today, deciding to find a quiet book store or library or something. Unfortunately for him, going home meant chores, and moving that damn fridge into place (he still hadn't gotten round to that…). His parents were luckily staying on a business trip for the next three days, so he had time. And besides, they really couldn't fault him if he was outside.

Then again, reading a book outside wasn't really what they wanted Jack doing, but meh. Baby steps.

Crossing the plaza again and hoping that it would go better than yesterday, Jack sat in front of the fountain again and promptly buried himself in his book. In fact, he was so engrossed that he didn't even notice when someone sat down next to him.

"So watchya readin'?" Casey asked. Jack, having not noticed him before, nearly jumped out of his skin before glaring at the chuckling football player.

"That was uncalled for," Jack whined petulantly. "I almost spilled this on my book!"

Casey waved his hand dismissively. "Not important. What I found out this morning is."

"You're going to make me beg for this information aren't you." Jack deadpanned.

"Nah, I can only outsmart you as Gray Matter." Casey said. He held out a folder to Jack, who hesitantly took it and started flipping through it. "What is all this?" Jack questioned.

"All the sightings of aliens from this summer. But that's not all; check this out." Casey flipped to a map of the US near the back of the packet. "These sightings are linear. Like it was one person on a road trip or something."

"So either it was a bunch of people with these wristbands…" Jack started.

"Or one person with all of them."

Jack handed Casey back the folder. "Look, this is interesting and all, but why show me this? I thought you would be off bashing your skull against someone else's." Casey grimaced. Normally, he would, but after being a genius for a while, having normal conversations was disconcerting.

' _There I go again with the big words'_ Casey muttered internally.

"Honestly, I was hoping we could figure out more about what these do. Like how to we activate Ben's personality again?" Casey said.

Jack groaned. "Dude, honestly I don't care. I'd rather just try to forget the whole thing happened."

"Seriously?" Jack looked up and saw the incredulous expression of Casey's face. "These wristbands may be the most interesting things to ever happen in this town ever, and you don't care?"

"Well when you put it that way…" Jack considered. "Fine. What's the plan today?"

"I figured we would start off… with you hacking into the school's mainframe and getting the test answers!" Casey ended loudly. "Play along," he whispered. Jack, completely confused at this point, looked around until he spotted the source of Casey's sudden attitude shift in the form of an extremely hot girl making a beeline for Casey.

"Stevie! I thought I would find you here!" She called. Jack shuddered a bit; honestly, that much sweetness made him want to gag! And what was this whole 'Stevie' business?

Casey turned around to greet her, and Jack finally got a good look at the back of the Varsity jacket, including the top where the football player's last name was emblazoned in green; STEVENS.

"Who's the shrimp?" Her voice broke into Jack's thoughts. The disdainful tone made him cringe inside, but he had no problem introducing himself to hot girls.

"My name is Jack, Jack Harrison." He replied smartly, almost lapsing into the extremely well done British accent he had picked up from a James Bond marathon back in LA. "And you are?"

"I'm Regina, like you'll ever need to know." She looked down her perfectly shaped nose at what she viewed as someone completely beneath her. The second she turned back to Casey though, her voice practically dripped with sugar. "Babe, I thought we were gonna go shopping today! You like, totally promised!" She said.

"Sorry…?" Casey said, secretly glad he'd forgotten about that particular date. Getting his ear talked off for at least five hours was not worth anything.

Even if she did happen to push her rather large assets against his chest while she asked him to help her try on necklaces.

Banishing the thought from his mind, he looked her in her sky blue eyes and said, "Next time, okay? Something really big came up." Casey apologized.

"Exactly how big?" She implored.

"Well, let's put it this way. My journalism summer homework is no longer a problem." He grinned. "Speaking of which…" He handed Jack a twenty, who until this point had been standing uncomfortably on the sidelines. "By yourself some nerdy junk or something."

Jack took the hint and hustled away. _'What was that about?'_ he asked himself, slightly miffed by Casey's complete attitude reversal.

Flipping over the twenty dollar bill to put it in his wallet, Jack noticed a small piece of paper folded into the corner of it. On this paper was a string of numbers and a hastily scrawled 'SAVE ME' in all caps.

Instantly, Jack had his phone out and called the number. The phone didn't even finish ringing once when Casey answered. Jack didn't even get time to talk. "What? They switched the football practice to noon?" He paused for a moment. "Dude, I'm on a date right now! Come on, it's 11:30, tell me you're joking. No? Fine then." Some distorted phone noises were heard, sounding something like apologies and simpering responses. "See ya there." The call hung up.

Jack looked at his phone in surprise, before putting it in his pocket just as the sound of running footsteps could be heard. Casey rounded the corner and skidded to a halt in front of Jack.

"Thanks dude, normally I don't need that but today she had that shopping look in her eye, and…" He noticed Jack's icy glare. "What?"

"Do I even need to explain it to you?" Jack asked frostily. He knew they'd only just become acquaintances, if even that, but that had still miffed him.

"Look, sorry, but she is literally the most popular girl in the school and… fine. I won't do that again."

"Honestly, I'm fine with it, but if we are embarking on a project of this magnitude you really need to be careful about whom you tell. Plus, don't do that again. It was horribly insulting… Stevie." Jack said in a mocking tone.

Casey rounded on him. "Never say that. Again. Ever." He growled.

Jack snorted. "Why not? You obviously don't care about my feelings. Stevie." He repeated.

"I swear, one more time and I'll-"

"Stev-"

"That's it!"

"-ens." Jack finished, smirking.

"It's times like these when I wonder if this was a good idea." Casey groaned.

"You do realize that it has only been five minutes since I agreed to help you understand these wristbands."

Casey facepalmed. "Just… come on. I drew up a plan as Gray Matter. A few tests per day, and hopefully my sanity won't break." He started heading towards the school, which happened to be only about a mile from the mall.

"Whatever you say, Stevie."

"You little-"

Jack ran in the direction of the school, cackling as a yelling Casey pursued him.

The barbell settled to the ground, and Casey raised his eyebrows in surprise and marked another box on his paper. Currently, he was almost to the bottom of the strength test chart, and was worried he would need more room.

"Impressive. Looks like you're starting to lose some steam, but a ton and a half is nothing to scoff at," he said. "I think we're done for today. I already got my test results in at home, so that just leaves your speed tests."

Jack frowned. "Wait, back up. I turned into an alien for this, which still feels horrible by the way, and you don't even have to? Lemme see that sheet," he said, reaching over and plucking it from Casey's grip. "Where were you planning to do the speed test?" Jack asked while flipping through the papers.

"Actually, I have no idea," Casey admitted. "I mean, a treadmill would work for me, but that may not support your weight, so-"

"You calling me fat?" Jack rumbled with mock anger. "I'll get you for that!" he said while pointing at the football player.

What neither of them expected was for a shard of crystal to fly out, straight towards Casey's head.

With a yelp, he ducked and the verdant crystal impaled itself in the wall behind him.

"What was that!" He yelled, grabbing the shard and holding it up to Jack's face. "You almost killed me!"

"Sorry…?" he replied. "I had no idea that would happen!"

"Well, what else can you do, turn your hands into swords?"

"So what if I- Oh. Looks like I can." Jack said, examining the spears his hands had turned in to.

"Just give me some warning next time?"

"Ok. You got it. But now, instead of speed trials, we can do combat stuff!" Jack said exuberantly.

Casey sighed. "We haven't finished the speed trials yet," he said as if talking to a young child.

"Those are completely unnecessary and you know it."

"Agree to disagree. In the meantime, do you know how to fix a wall?"

"Ummm…"

Deep within the Moon, a form stirred.

Clawed hands reached from a broken and rusted prison, sensing sources of energy nearby. They swiped at nothing, seemingly useless until coruscating crimson light detached itself from the talons and scythed into the ceiling.

The First floated from his prison, drifting on nonexistent currents of air to the closest source of energy.

One of the Omnitrix fragments…

* * *

 **Ok, I will just say thanks for reading and if you have any ideas for the story or feel the need to point out something I did wrong, please leave a review.**

 **-sonyaxe**


	4. Chapter 4

**Wellllll... yeah. I'm back. It turns out I had to rewrite this chapter about... 3 times? I still can't find it in myself to be happy with this one. I haven't really had to write many action sequences before.**

 **Anyway, enough about me. Drop a review if you like it, and please tell me what you don't so I can fix it.**

* * *

Chapter 4: School

 **Up in space…**

The First, driven by its lust for energy, pursued the Omnitrix fragments around the planet several times. If it hadn't been in space, it would have literally salivated. Just one fraction of that energy could make it immortal…

Abruptly, both fragments changed course, heading farther down into Earth's atmosphere, The First following doggedly even as friction caused its body to ignite. It didn't care. It was hungry. Pushing through the pain, it closed on the targets. Without warning, it snatched on and drifted to a stop, floating above a forest. The fragment tried to release a feedback pulse, only for the energy to be absorbed.

' _More…'_ it thought. Green lightning flashed in the night sky as the alien drained the fragment.

* * *

Once more, Jack collapsed on his bed and gazed at the now familiar ceiling. He pulled out his phone and started scrolling through some pictures, laughing when he came across some of his favorites. There was the one where he'd gotten stuck as Diamondhead (upside-down on a wall this time), Casey trying to make sense of some of his calculations he didn't remember doing, and various other alien related shenanigans.

Of course, there were other pictures too. Photos of news clippings showed a few petty criminals being caught, all of whom just so happened to be pinned to a wall by unidentifiable green crystals. It had barely been two weeks, and already thanks to Casey hacking into the police's radio they'd stopped a mugging (accidentally), armed robbery, and even a few cases of petty theft. Strangely, it felt like the crime rate decided to skyrocket right when they got their wristbands, or fragments as Casey called them.

Unfortunately for Jack and Casey, not to mention most of the population of West Hills who were under eighteen, school started tomorrow. He'd already registered and knew his schedule by heart, but there was still a lingering element of stress. Not for classes, those usually just needed an occasional study session, but for the Omnitrix fragments.

After some extensive testing, they had determined something worrisome; any contact with a living organic substance could activate the fragments. Even carrot sticks had done the trick, so with the close proximity to other students, and especially for Casey being on the football team, the problem remained for covering up the wristbands. Wrapping it in tape failed miserably (apparently it had molecular deconstruction nanobots to make sure the activation button was easily reachable at all times), so until a better solution could be found the two were stuck with being extremely careful about who was near their wrists.

One positive that came from all this was that Ben's personality fragment, limited as it was, managed to instruct them on some combat related stuff, such as Diamondhead's ability to create walls and spikes from the ground, while Gray Matter had a talent for building (or exploding) any piece of technology out there.

For now though, Jack decided to let go of all his worries, and just sleep.

* * *

After grabbing a quick bowl of cereal, Jack was out the door, on his way to the torture device adults called school. He'd decided to just brave the storm and wore a collared t-shirt, confident that he could stop anyone from touching his wrist. Luckily, his house was fairly near West Hills High School, so the walk only took about ten minutes.

He knew no one. There wasn't a single person that Jack recognized, so he just ducked his head and sat down in the back of first period Chemistry. He fidgeted with the fragment while he waited, wincing as he accidentally pulled too hard and tugged the molecular bond painfully. This was going to be a long day...

* * *

The rest of the day went well by Jack's standards. He'd met a few other people, no one had commented on the Omnitrix, and above all his classes were easy. Even lunch went well, though he did have to avoid the corner of the cafeteria where the football team (and Regina) was sitting.

In fact, the trouble started after school.

Jack and Casey had agreed to meet at the mall again, last minute, to discuss a string of strange occurrences going on in the woods near the town. Reports of flashing lights, strange figures, and even a possible UFO sighting had caught their attention, and they were planning on checking it out.

Currently, Jack was crunching on a maple scone while reading another book. The gentle sound of the fountain combined with the hubbub of shoppers, until the sound of a phone ringing startled Jack to his feet. Upon checking it, his face immediately brightened. It was Casey! The text said to start going to the crater, and that he was running late. Jack shrugged and got up. Might as well start the investigation.

When he arrived at the edge of the forest though, he stopped short. Teenagers were swarming through the trees, some of whom had colorful banners or shirts proclaiming their allegiance to the Conspiracy Club. Jack raised an eyebrow. Seriously? _'Of all the things…'_

"Hi! Are you here to join the search?" A member of the club appeared just in front of Jack. Without waiting for Jack to answer, he said "Great! Go check deeper in the forest. No one has gone back there yet. Good luck!" Instantly, he was gone once more, leaving a deeply confused half-alien in his wake.

"Wait what?" Jack blinked a few times. Shrugging, he pushed past the throng of teenagers, texting Casey to avoid the forest at all costs. Some sharp-eyed member might notice the fragments if they were seen together. Before he lost cell reception deeper in the forest, Casey told him he was coming down later. Jack shrugged. Stubborn.

As he walked farther into the forest, Jack started recognizing landmarks; a trampled shrub, weird footprints, and finally, the crater.

Which currently had a grotesque _thing_ sitting at the bottom of it.

With a growing sense of dread, Jack noticed a familiarly shaped black piece of broken metal sitting on the ground in front of the thing. He cradled his fragment closer and tried to examine the alien while it was resting. In a word, it was appalling. Mismatched, pulsating green lumps covered it in its entirety, offsetting its scarlet skin. Both legs were massive, and when standing it could easily be 10 feet tall. On the ends of its arms were three claws each, all the size of a medieval broadsword, and twice as sharp. The head was covered in a smooth, silver helmet with blinking red dots on its black face plate.

Jack tried to back away. But even with his silent retreat, The First noticed a new energy source. Right in front of it.

The First darted forward with a speed impossible for a being that size, claws reaching toward the fleshy human containing so much of that energy.

It wanted more. It _needed_ more.

Its claws seemed to stretch, straining to reach the source of its food, only for said food to be gone.

The second The First had moved, Jack spun to the side. In a well-practiced motion, he brushed a finger against his fragment. The second his flesh made contact, green crystal erupted from his skin, instantly increasing his height and mass, turning him into a full bodied petrosapien. Pushing through the pain, Jack finished his spin, and used the momentum to fling three fist-sized crystals toward the monster's head. Green energy crackled around The First, and he blurred out of the way. Jack noted the blue afterimage it left before a trio of claws smashed into his side, sending him flying back into the undergrowth. With a growl of rage, Jack charged right back out, firing razor-sharp crystals in all directions in his attempts to land even one hit on The First.

Unfortunately for Jack, the alien had other ideas.

This time, the corona of green lightning was continuous, and so were the blue speed trails. In fact, it actually seemed to be getting-

A glancing blow to the face sent Jack sprawling, as the blue streak continued merrily on its way.

-closer.

With no warning, strikes began raining from all directions, too fast for Jack to follow. He crossed his arms in front of his face and morphed his feet into spikes, digging deep into the ground. With his eyes closed in concentration, Jack focused on the vibrations the creature sent through the ground into his "roots". The petrosapien grinned, seeming almost feral. The thing had a pattern! Even though it was slowly chipping away at his structure, Jack waited. There was a point it always circled around, every second repetition. If he could just…

Jack's eyes snapped open, and with a mighty roar a cylinder of crystal grew around The First, completely cutting it off. In an instant, Jack manipulated the cylinder, closing it off at the top and bottom while sending spikes of crystal to entrap its limbs. Or at least, that was the plan. The alien simply flared with energy, grey this time, and released a sonic wave which completely shattered the attempt at a trap.

Jack stared at the alien dumbfounded. Not only could it move at incredible speeds, it could shatter the substance currently making up his body at a whim?

' _Time for a… tactical withdrawal.'_ Jack decided – it was NOT a retreat – and, without further ado, turned and sprinted back into the forest.

The First snarled in anger as its prey fled, but it couldn't give chase; it had used too much of its energy in that fight. Besides, why go after one source of the energy…

When it felt two nearby?

* * *

 **Well, that certainly happened.**

 **What do you think of The First? How's the plot? Let me know in a review!**

 **Also, I know that I shortchanged Casey this chapter, but he has a huge role next chapter.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **-sonyaxe**


	5. Chapter 5

**AGHH STAR WARS CAME OUT!**

 **Ahem.**

 **Anyway, have this (mostly filler) chapter. I had fun writing it for some reason. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 5: Enter Agent Bishop… I mean Ren

Casey paced around the tree house's rickety table, stewing with anger while Jack carefully glanced at the football player, determining how safe it was to strike up a conversation. When Jack had returned earlier, covered in cuts and bruises, Casey completely freaked out and tried to figure out what happened, which only led to more shouting when the half-petrosapien told him about the monster he'd found in the woods.

"Why didn't you wait for me?! I told you I would be there soon, but NOOOO, you had to be a freakin' hero and fight the stupid thing which is supposedly after the fragments and-"Casey paused for a deep breath –"has multiple powers! What were you thinking?"

"Well, I couldn't exactly let the Conspiracy Club see two fragments in the same place. You know how they are better than I do!" Jack yelled back, still wrapping his arms in bandages. "Besides, it isn't like I had a choice in fighting that monster. It attacked me!" He defended.

"Well… you still should've waited," Casey said. "You know why? Because I found this!" He pulled up his sleeve, revealing not one, but TWO fragments.

"WHAT! When did you get that?" Jack shouted. He immediately grabbed Casey's wrist, turning the appendage this way and that to get a better look at the new device. In basic construction, it had the same black metal with softly glowing green lines, but in the middle was what looked like a miniature red fist. "What does it turn you into?"

For the first time since the argument began, Casey grinned. "It came through the window, and I'll show you later. But trust me when I say you aren't the only heavy hitter here anymore."

"Well, looks like I'm not the only one who's gonna have to tank for us now," Jack joked, tugging at his bandages.

"Hmm…" Casey muttered, a dark look coming over his face.

The two continued to sit in Casey's old tree house (recently converted to their vigilante base). The sun fell, but as it did the treehouse came to life. Multiple computer screens flashed to life, showing maps of the town and bank security feeds, hacked police radio stations, and even a new program Casey whipped up as Grey Matter for picking up energy surges (using a hacked satellite) in response to the new fragment.

"Soooo… we gonna patrol tonight?" Jack asked.

Casey gave a non-committal grunt.

"Is that a yes?"

"Not tonight. School tomorrow, remember?"

Jack sighed. "Of course the football player is worried about school."

"Says the vigilante nerd."

"Touche."

* * *

The next day, Jack arrived at school surprisingly well rested. After hanging out with Casey, he'd headed home and promptly fell asleep, mainly due to the lack of homework on the first day. After a quick breakfast of scrambled eggs and some cereal, he grabbed his backpack and headed off to school. Upon his arrival though…

"Attention citizens of West Hills High School! We, the loyal members of the Conspiracy Club, need to inform you of a grave danger to us all! In the woods, we have found evidence of aliens of extraterrestrial origins!"

Jack glanced briefly at the crowd of club members on the stairs in front of the school, before shoving his hands deeper in his pockets and walking faster. Most people were just ignoring them, and some were even chuckling quietly under their breath.

The speaker raised his megaphone again. "Of course, we knew that none of you would believe us, so we have a special guest here on our behalf. Everyone, please give your undivided attention to Agent Ren of the CIA!"

All activity stopped for a few moments. The entire student body stared, jaws agape, at the man in a suit stepped up next to the extremely smug leader of the conspiracy club. He took the offered megaphone and cleared his throat.

Agent Ren had pale, almost sickly looking skin, black hair, and sunglasses even though it was both early and overcast. His features were sharp and had as few wrinkles as his black suit. He began speaking in a slightly accented voice, soft yet full of authority. "Thank you Jason for your kind introduction. As you know, I am Agent Ren, head of the CIA's department of extraterrestrial affairs. This department was created in response to the current situation in this town, details of which will be released in an assembly in the gym today during lunch. In the meantime, please go to your normal classes and do not worry at all about this. Thank you." With that, he left his stage and disappeared into the school office.

The majority of the student body was left staring at the now empty stage, frozen.

"Well. Crap." Jack muttered.

* * *

Not even the teachers could concentrate on the continuing introductions and token assignments they had their classes doing. Even the hyper-strict chemistry teacher was glued to her phone, fervently discussing the "conspiracy against the school" with other teachers. Meanwhile, the various members of the conspiracy club continued to remain smug and aloof while refusing to answer any questions about why the Agent was here. Casey, in his history class, made an effort to get people from inflating the club member's egos as well as he could, while simultaneously trying to stop himself from blurting anything that could link him to the events going on. Somehow, he managed to make it through his class even with the Conspiracy Club's posturing, and three periods later he (and everyone else in the school) was crammed into the gym.

"Casey! Over here!" The football player quickly turned, trying to find the source of Jack's voice in the crowd, before finally spotting him in the top corner of the bleachers with an empty space. Luckily, there was a clear path to the top, and with minimal shoving people out of his way Casey sat down next to an extremely nervous Jack.

Jack very slightly turned towards Casey, and nervously whispered "Do you think they know?"

Casey ever-so-slightly shook his head. "Either they don't know, or don't care because we currently aren't in some random lab somewhere getting experimented on."

"Happy thoughts. Now shh, Agent Bishop is here to steal our souls."

"I thought his name was-"

"I'll tell you later. Now shhhh!"

Both teens focused on the Agent currently tapping his microphone for attention, and when the general hubbub in the gym was at a manageable level, he cleared his throat and began speaking.

"Thank you all for taking the time out of your lunch to come to this assembly. After all, I'm sure that a matter of national security is important enough to warrant a slight interruption of education, yes?" The smile he gave never reached his eyes. "Starting a few weeks ago, communications with one of our scanning satellites were disrupted by multiple unknown energy signals. Their origin was in the nearby forest outside of this town, and recently the number of these signals has increased while the points of origin move, almost as if someone has possession of them. Of course, this alone would not be abnormal; no, the true matter is the evidence that we are not alone in this universe."

He gave a dramatic pause to allow whispers to build up, before raising his hand to cut them off.

"Yes, we were as surprised as you. Currently, there seem to be at least one extra-terrestrial, one which, surprisingly, has been engaging in some vigilante justice." A projector flickered on, and the gym's wall displayed a few shots of robbers, muggers, and the like pinned to walls by familiar green crystals. "This one, unlikely as it is, seems to not be hostile to most citizens and as such, if you see something in possession of these crystals, do not approach and call the police. While it is unlikely it will harm you, avoid it at all costs."

Jack whispered to Casey, "Well at least they aren't telling them that I'm dangerous."

"You are, and shut up. He isn't finished."

Jack huffed and turned his attention back to the stage.

"If anyone has information pertaining to this being, or any questions concerning this topic, please visit the office and leave a written question with your email address. We will respond as well as we are able, but note that although we are trying to conduct this investigation in as open and civilized manner as possible, some information will be restricted. That is all. Thank you for your time." He handed off the microphone to the still nervous principal, and exited the gym through the back door.

The second the door swung shut, the entire gym erupted in conversation.

Jack and Casey, however, were still staring at the stage.

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"We're screwed."

"Yup."

* * *

"So Case… I noticed you visited the office after school. You want to tell me why?" Jack asked as the two trudged back to the tree house.

Casey gave a sheepish grin. "I may have dropped a question in the box."

"Really?" Jack deadpanned.

"Hey, it's not what you think! I pretended to be some equal rights guy asking about what would happen if they encountered the alien."

"Seriously?" Jack asked. "Of all things, you alerted the party actively hunting me to you? They might send someone to talk to you, or maybe-"

Casey interrupted Jack. "Oh look! An email!" He exclaimed, pulling out his phone. "What do you know… he says that they will take him in for questioning. How original."

Jack scrunched his eyebrows. "Wait. Something felt off about that. How do they know it's a he?"

The second the words left Jack's mouth, pitch-black FBI vans screeched to a halt at each end of the street, spilling agents onto the street and cutting off all escape routes. Jack and Casey immediately stood back to back.

Casey decided to take the initiative. "So." He said, calmly staring down multiple gun barrels. "When can I call my lawyer?"

"You don't get one." Agent Ren stepped out of one of the larger vans. "You two are the sources of many of the recent energy surges, and we will be taking you into our custody. Will you come quietly?"

Jack and Casey glanced at each other, and shared a quick look. Casey glared. Jack rolled his eyes and shrugged. Casey sighed heavily, then slumped his shoulders.

"We will."

* * *

 **So... yeah, not much action here, but now we have our obligatory government antagonist! Though I am trying to keep him more rational than most I've seen. Also, I came up with Ren before Star Wars if you wanted to know.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **-sonyaxe**


	6. Chapter 6

**So basically I'm in the IB Program(me) and it is extremely British. So British in fact that I was drowned in work after being sunk by their navy's cannons. This wouldn't be a problem if I hadn't gotten sick the second I finished the majority of the work for this year. So basically, what I'm saying is have a chapter!**

 **Special thanks to Rocker on for reviewing every chapter and reminding me to update this. Enjoy!**

 **FAIL-SAFE MECHANISM**

Chapter 6: How (not) to Make a First Impression

Agent Ren snuck glances at the two (possibly) aliens in the van's holding area. Though they seemed surprisingly unconcerned (their phones were taken, which to Ren's experience usually caused teens to go hysterical, and further proved there may be something wrong here), they still glared at the agents sitting around them. The agents, on the other hand, were nervously hoping that they didn't have to shoot at what seemed to be two teenagers.

Jack casually turned to the agent on his left. "So, what's the plan here?"

He was met with blank, expressionless visors.

Casey tried this time. "So… anyone watch football?"

One agent discreetly raised his hand, then quickly lowered it when the others glared at him.

"Okay. So since this trip is shaping up to be boring… 99 BOTTLES OF BEER ON THE WALL…"

 **FAIL-SAFE MECHANISM**

In the front seat, Ren restrained himself from slamming his head against the dashboard.

 **FAIL-SAFE MECHANISM**

"-take one down, pass it- Oh look! We're here!" Jack remarked when the van stopped. "Or is this just another red light?" In response, the agents practically fled the vehicle, seeking an escape from the off-key singing which they could do nothing (ethical) to halt. The two teenagers casually hopped out after them, and looked around the large garage. Predictably, more soldiers surrounded them, but their rather large sci-fi guns were held loosely, and aimed at the ground.

Another agent, this time a woman with sharp features and strikingly white hair, appeared in a doorway. "Ah, I see you've arrived. Do either of you know why you are here?"

Jake rolled his eyes, then prodded Casey. Casey shook his head and sighed. "Well, seeing as we've been taken against our legal rights, I'm not feeling very cooperative. Mind telling us?"

The woman nodded, as if the answer was expected. "Though much of it is classified, I can tell you two things. One, you will be treated fairly, as I'd rather not deal with our HR department. Two, you will be held here until we deem you safe to be released back into society. Now, we have quite a few questions, so-"

At that moment, Jack's wristband started strobing green light. Instantly, soldier's guns were up and trained on the two (now actually afraid) teens. Casey, recognizing the sequence of flashes, promptly shouted "EVERYBODY DOWN" and dove behind a crate.

"Case! What's going on?" Jack shouted, before the strobing intensified. A whistling was heard, then a crash. The building shook, and a small black meteor broke through the ceiling, and slammed directly into Jack.

Once more, an explosion of verdant energy blinded all in the room, but the agents quickly recovered. Raising their rifles, they approached the still glowing form of Jack. They carefully stepped around the sizzling, molten metal covering the area near the impact, but when one tried to get too close, he stumbled back, instantly drenched in sweat. A figure rose slowly from the smoke.

 **FAIL-SAFE MECHANISM**

Jack carefully moved his new arms, testing their flexibility. Though they appeared to be made of molten red rock, they were somehow flexible enough to move normally. He also noticed that the metal floor seemed to be melting under him. How to fix that…

The female agent was furiously barking into a radio, shouting something about plumbers for some reason, and Agent Ren directed something ( _is that a tank?_ ) to aim at Jack. It started charging an energy beam, but before it could fire, Casey sprinted past the guards (who were still focused on Jack), hand moving to his new fragment. His finger brushed the red piece, and suddenly he swelled into a 12 foot tall, red, four-armed monster who proceeded to bend the tank's barrel with three hands.

The other was busy blocking laser bolts aimed for Casey's four yellow eyes, which did nothing more than singe the tetramand's giant hand.

While nearly everyone was focused on the red alien hanging from the tank barrel, Jack was trying to figure out his new form. Acting on instinct, he concentrated on his hand, and a fireball began forming. Unfortunately for Jack, he couldn't shrink it. If anything, it seemed to be getting bigger, and a 'pressure' of sorts was building up. Just before it released, Jack raised his palm skyward, and blasted a roaring fireball into the ceiling.

The ensuing explosion halted all motion in the room, giving Jack the opening he needed. He ripped his feet free from the molten metal, jumped away from the heat, and slammed his hand on the symbol on his chest, instantly reverting himself back to normal. Or it would have been instant, had he been in his normal Diamondhead form.

The fragment hadn't fully integrated the DNA by this point, and the resulting feedback slowed the transformation sequence. He felt his cells rapidly cool, stretch, divide, compress… in short, it was excruciating.

Jack flopped to the ground, steaming from the heat he'd been emitting only seconds before, and weakly propped himself up. When his eyes refocused, he was looking down the barrel of Agent Ren's pistol, with the other agent glaring down at him from Ren's side.

"Now, when I asked about doing this the easy way or the hard way…" The agent slammed the butt of his gun into Jack's head, knocking him out instantly. "This was the hard way."

 **FAIL-SAFE MECHANISM**

Casey, busy dealing with the soldiers, only noticed Jack's predicament when he saw Ren pistol whip his friend. With a roar of pure rage, he launched himself across the room. With leg strength that could let him hop over a skyscraper, Casey's speed was so great that he appeared as a red blur of pure alien muscle.

Unfortunately for him, the female agent seemed to react well to blurs, and in one motion knocked Agent Ren out of the way, then lashed out with one palm while throwing herself to the ground. Viewed in slow motion, one would have seen her open palm impact the Omnitrix symbol on Casey's shoulder, then somehow redirect his momentum into the ground.

With an almighty crash, the tetramand smashed into the ground a split second before reverting to his normal form. He was immediately pistol-whipped by Ren, knocking him out.

Ren stared at the now ruined warehouse, marveling at the destruction caused. Multiple melted sections of floor and ceiling, a tank with a barrel twisted like a pretzel, and soldiers scattered like skittles. A weak cough brought his attention to his side, and he gasped.

His partner, code-named Velocity (for reasons Ren understood now) was lying unresponsive on the ground. Directing whatever soldiers were left standing to restrain the two aliens, Ren knelt at her side, wincing as he saw her nose gushing blood. Apparently, whatever she'd done had taken a lot out of her…

Shaking aside his musings, Ren carefully lifted her up. Her eyes fluttered open, and with a quick look of thanks she leaned on him as they staggered deeper into the complex to get patched up.

Meanwhile, the soldiers warily approached the two normal seeming children once more, this time with more caution. They used the restraints specially made for situations like this, ensuring that neither could reach their own wrists, and carted them off to the containment cells before the two could wake up.

As plumber initiates, they were used to crazy, but two aliens who could transform into kids? That was a bit above their pay grade.

 **FAIL-SAFE MECHANISM**

 **So yeah, this happened. I've been tweaking this chapter for a few months, trying to get it right, but I'm still not sure I did. Anyway, who likes the aliens that they transform into? I couldn't bear leaving Casey to just be Gray Matter, and I feel they're going to need a lot more FIREpower to deal with The First.**

 **Anyway, that's a wrap! let me know how I did with a review please!**

 **-sonyaxe**


	7. Chapter 7: Impersonating Space Police

**Yay, an update! School's out, so I actually have 4 months to write before college starts. WOOOOHOOOO!**

Chapter 7: Impersonating Space Police.

Though Casey expected less-than-optimal treatment, he still hoped that waking up in a cell was out of the cards. He was right, more or less. The thing he was in wasn't a cell. It was an observation chamber. And apparently, he had a shiny new name: Subject 2. How did he know this? For the past ten minutes, a very annoying message had played on repeat.

"Subject 2, please move to the center of your chamber." Same monotone voice, repeated at the same interval. It was getting annoying.

"Subject 2, please move to the center of your chamber." It was their fault they put the bed along the edge of the clear walls. Having no privacy sucked.

"Subject 2-"

"SHUT UP!" Casey yelled. There was a beat of silence.

"Subj-"

"ARGH!" Casey tried kicking the bad away from the wall, but all he got from that was a throbbing foot. Apparently, it was welded to the metal, featureless floor. Therefore, with the slowest movements possible, he wrapped himself in blankets, dropped to the floor, and rolled into the center of the room.

"Happy now?" the annoyed teen spat at empty air.

"Thank you for your cooperation. Remain still as the examiner enters the chamber." ' _If this is cooperation, I hate to see what disobedience is'_ , Casey thought to himself. What was essentially an airlock irised open, and a familiar man in a suit entered the room.

"Agent Ren. What happened to 'open and civilized'?" Casey snarked from his spot on the floor. Below the blankets, he was picking at the forcefield around the fragments on his wrist, trying to move the generator into position to be broken down by the nanites.

The Plumber Agent's face twitched. "That went out the window when you assaulted my men, and revealed you are in possession of a counterfeit plumber's badge." He pulled a thin device from his pocket, and it unfolded itself into a tablet screen. "That, and you are on Earth without an interplanetary travel permit."

"...pardon?" Casey asked. He sat up and adjusted the black jumpsuit he'd been given in place of his normal clothes. "I've lived on Earth all my life, you can check my records. Besides the little bit that, you know, I'm _human_." The generator started to slip towards one of his fragments.

This actually got Ren to chuckle. "Your DNA says otherwise, though I'll admit I've never heard of a half tetramand and galvan cross who looks like a human." He tossed the datapad over to Casey, who managed to unfold an arm from the blanket to catch it. Upon viewing the contents, the teenager's eyes went wide.

"This is ridiculous! I'm human! I… how…" He slumped back to the floor, covering his face with one hand. "You have to be lying."

Unexpectedly, a familiar, if tinny sounding voice came from a speaker. "Actually Casey, he's not, and we're in a lot more trouble than we thought. I've looked up the pertinent laws, and as partial aliens our citizenship on Earth, as a tech level 3 planet, is overridden. That, and apparently we're impersonating members of an intergalactic police force." He broke off with a sigh. "Also, we're being accused of murder of the grandson of one of their officers, one Max Tennyson. In short, without evidence disproving this we're absolutely screwed."

Agent Ren nodded. "That's about the long and short of it. Your friend, the petrosapien, was surprisingly cooperative. Most members of his species are… hardheaded, shall we say?" His grin was cut off by Jack slowly clapping reverberating through the speakers.

"That pun wasn't funny the first three times you used it. Anyway, since I've been mostly cooperative, they've lent me a tablet to try to prepare a defense for us. Casey, there's a whole galactic community out there!" Jack said excitedly. "Also their lawyers suck, so-"

Jack was cut off by the agent clearing his throat. "As convincing as your act is, until you are proven to be human, and the other violations have been addressed, you will be confined here."

Throughout this exchange, Casey just sat there, flipping through tabs on the datapad with lighting speed, until now. "We're human." His eyes flashed dangerously at Agent Ren, who tensed, reaching for his taser. "We'll prove you wrong here. That is a promise." Casey said in a cold tone.

Ren turned and left the chamber with calm measured steps. Once the door hissed closed behind him, he reached for the communicator in his ear. "Did you get that Velocity?" He casually asked as he headed to his office.

The kineceleran disguised as a human responded quickly. "Yep. Ren, I think they're telling the truth. I've checked the records. Those two have rock-solid alibis for literally their entire lives. Jack especially, considering some of what I found on him. But that's not important. You realize that Max is on his way here right?"

Ren sighed as he opened his door and saw stacks of paperwork. "I know. I'm hoping he can clear this up. The second I mentioned aliens who transformed into kids, he dropped everything to come over."

"I don't think it's healthy for him. He just lost his grandson, he doesn't need more stress."

The director of the Plumbers in North America ran his hand over his face tiredly. "He's coming as a civilian. We can't order him to stay away."

There was a long pause on the other end of the line. "This is not going to go well. Agent Wheels out."

The line cut off.

Ren sighed. "I sincerely hope you're wrong."

 **Author's note: Velocity is Agent Wheels's code name (which she hates, and rarely ever uses), and she's on loan from the European branch of the Plumbers to help with the meteor case. Only a few people know about her being a kineceleran, and Ren (for now) is not one of them. Also, I know that technically Earth is stated as being a tech level 2 planet, but I call bullshit on that because we most certainly have nuclear fission. Kudos to Rocker On for guessing who Velocity was.**

 **-sonyaxe**


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